The Trump administration will withdraw 700 federal immigration agents from Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday. The move comes weeks after agents killed two U.S. citizens, sparking protests across the country.
"My goal, with the support of President Trump, is to achieve a complete drawdown and end this surge, as soon as we can," Homan said at a news conference.
He reiterated that immigration efforts would continue and that agents would not solely target undocumented criminals.
"If you’re in the country illegally, you are not off the table," Homan said. "Let me be clear, President Trump fully intends to achieve mass deportations during this administration, and immigration enforcement actions will continue every day throughout this country."
Homan said that the drawdown is partly a result of cooperation between Minnesota county jails and federal immigration officials, making it easier for immigration authorities to apprehend targets. Homan asked for such cooperation from state and local authorities over the last week.
"This is smarter enforcement, not less enforcement," he said, adding that local authorities will not be conducting immigration enforcement.
Over the past two months, more than 3,000 federal immigration agents have descended onto Minneapolis, in what the Trump administration has dubbed Operation Metro Surge. For comparison, the city has 600 police officers. Homan said that roughly 150 federal immigration authorities were present in the city before the operation began.
Immigration officers and agents have arrested 4,000 people on “immigration violations” in Minneapolis since operations began on Nov. 29, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NBC News on Wednesday.
She did not provide a breakdown of how many of those had criminal charges.
Local officials responded to Homan on Wednesday, saying they “remain concerned about the thousands” of ICE and Border Patrol agents in the state. Videos of confrontations between immigration authorities and residents of the Twin Cities have continued to go viral nearly daily since talk of a drawdown began last week.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday that federal immigration authorities in Minnesota will be equipped with body cameras. Homan reiterated that funding for the equipment is coming to the area.
"The drawdown and body-worn cameras are a step in the right direction, but 2,000 ICE officers still here is not de-escalation,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement. "My message to the White House has been consistent — Operation Metro Surge has been catastrophic for our residents and businesses. It needs to end immediately."
The immigration crackdown prompted national outrage after federal authorities fatally shot two U.S. citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37.
Trump administration officials have given mixed signals on whether they plan to raise or lower the temperature in the Twin Cities.
Immediately following Pretti's killing — before meaningful evidence from any investigation into the incident was produced — Noem and top adviser Stephen Miller called the intensive care unit nurse a "domestic terrorist" and accused him of brandishing a firearm.
Days later, the administration removed Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino, who was often present at violent encounters with protesters and arrests of immigrants. Bovino returned to his post in El Centro, California.
Meanwhile, Homan arrived in Minneapolis the same week, where he quickly said that the situation could be improved and that the administration would “draw down” the operation in the state.
In Wednesday's news conference, he said there will now be one line of command in Minneapolis, rather than two.
After Homan's initial comments about the drawdown, President Donald Trump appeared to contradict plans for a de-escalation. That came after the president distanced himself from labels of Pretti made by others in his administration, saying he wanted to "de-escalate" the situation in the city and calling Pretti’s killing a “very unfortunate” incident.
By Friday, Trump called Pretti an "agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist" in a post on Truth Social.
The change in tone came after video emerged showing Pretti kicking a vehicle being driven by immigration authorities and calls from some of the president’s hard-right supporters for him to press onward. Stephen Bannon said on his podcast, “War Room,” that “there can be no de-escalation at all.”
Federal authorities also arrested former CNN anchor Don Lemon on Friday after he covered a protest during a church service last month led by a pastor who is allegedly also an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. Lemon's attorney said his client would plead not guilty to charges against him.
In his latest remarks, Homan condemned the animosity directed at federal immigration authorities, cautioning that the drawdown will not include "personnel providing security for our officers."
"It's shameful and incomprehensible to me that this unlawful and threatening behavior is being tolerated by anyone," he said.
Homan did not reference the killing of Pretti or Good in his comments and warned those opposed to the massive federal presence in the city.
"You're not going to stop ICE. You're not going to stop Border Patrol," he said. "The only thing you're doing is irritating your community that want to go get groceries or pick your children up or whatever."
